Usain Bolt wins first-round 100 heat in entertaining fashion

Aug 14, 2016 Sports

(Yahoo Sport) RIO DE JANEIRO — No offence to Michael Phelps and Simone Biles, but the Main Event of the Rio Olympics arrived Saturday afternoon and he didn’t disappoint.
Usain Bolt made his first appearance at these Games, trying to turn a third Olympic Stadium on a third continent into his house, and he electrified Rio like he did London and Beijing before it.
The Jamaican breezed through his first-round heat of the 100 meters, the signature event of the signature competition (athletics) of the Olympics, ringing up a time of 10.07 to easily move into the semifinals on Sunday afternoon. The finals are Sunday night.
It was a welcome sight to the tens of thousands of Bolt fans who packed the stadium just after noon on this sun-splashed Saturday. Bolt has been battling injury and inactivity and no one was entirely certain how he would look. This may not be the vintage Bolt of Beijing or London, but it was enough.
He essentially jogged through the second half of the race, looking around to see if anyone could even challenge him. They couldn’t. Mission accomplished, both in moving on to the next event and leaving every competitor at the meet well aware that there is another gear or three in reserve.
In the 100, psychological warfare is always fair.
Bolt is trying the unprecedented task of capturing a third consecutive Olympic title in the 100. He already owns the world record of 9.58 and the Olympic record of 9.63.
While he is unlikely to best those marks, at age 29 the task is simply to continue his reign of domination. And to do it with his signature flair. Saturday was step one.
Meanwhile, Yohan Blake also won his heat to advance to the 100m semi-finals, while Nickel Ashmeade copped the second automatic qualification spot in his heat.
Blake cruised to 10.10s, ahead of Jax Harvey, who is also a former representative of Jamaica now running for Turkey.
Ashmeade, running out of Lane three in Heat three finished behind the surprise winner from China, Xie Chenye, who ran to a personal best of 10.08s.
A relaxed Ashmeade clocked 10.13.
American Justin Gatlin won Heat two in 10.01s, ahead of Daniel Bailey of Antigua and Barbuda who copped the second automatic qualifying spot in 10.20 seconds. Kemarley Brown, formerly of Jamaica, now representing Bahrain, won his heat in 10.13 seconds. Meanwhile, 21-year-old American Trayvon Brommell also qualified.
The semi-finals get under way tonight at 7:00 pm local time.

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